Abstract

In Libya, studies state that there is an increase in car ownership and this increase in
traffic movement causes congestion which affects and can increase travelling time in
large Libyan cities, particularly in Tripoli and Benghazi. Because of this the
Government are requesting the establishment of a new policy that could be effective
in reducing traffic problems at the present time and avoiding the amplification of
traffic problems in the future. Currently, road user charging policy (RUC) is
considered as a suitable tool for tackling urban traffic problems. Because of the
reasons stated above, RUC can be applied in the urban areas of large Libyan cities in
order to reduce traffic congestion problems.
This study attempts to ascertain and document the perceived impacts of road user
charging on an individual's daily activity travel patterns in urban areas by using one
of the large Libyan cities (Benghazi) as the case study. The research methodology
has been designed with the aim of identifying the existing transport conditions and
the characteristics of activity travel patterns in Benghazi; establishing the views of
transport policymakers and consultants toward RUC, and establishing and
documenting the perceived impacts of road user charging on individuals' daily
activity travel patterns.
A triangulation method was employed to collect data, a survey of a road user
charging experiment in Benghazi was conducted with the road users in the central
business district (CBD) and semi-structured interviews have been carried out with
transport policymakers.
The findings indicate that RUC policy can have a positive impact in reducing traffic
congestion with a reduction in car trips crossing the restricted areas during the peak
period by around 35.5%. However the road users had different choices to make; they
could decide to pay the toll and continue with their current travel pattern, pay the toll
for some days, or not pay at all. Around 68% of drivers chose to pay the toll for all
days or for some days. On the other hand, 32% of the drivers did not pay the toll at all and avoided the payment by choosing other alternatives. The majority of drivers
who decided to avoid the toll chose to change their travel time, to before the
restricted period.
Furthermore, the analysis of travel durations during the field study proved that the
lognormal distribution is the best suited distribution for the data of the durations of
travel.
Regarding the attitudes toward RUC, the study concluded that 70% of the transport
policymakers, consultants and academics thought that RUC may greatly assist in the
reduction of traffic congestion. However, more than a quarter of respondents (27%)
stated that they did not have enough information or knowledge on how RUC could
impact on the travel patterns of road users. In addition, the study concluded that the
main reasons for non-implementation of a road user charging policy are a lack of
public transport, a lack of knowledge on RUC policy and the culture of the
community.
It has been stated that although the Ministry of Transport in Libya has established a
number of projects aiming to improve the road conditions and public transport
services, the condition of roads still needs to be improved. Despite these limitations,
there are a number of benefits which can be obtained from the implementation of
RUC in large Libyan cities, particularly in Tripoli and Benghazi.
To implement the road user charging scheme successfully from the beginning the
transport policymakers could use the guidelines that have been developed in this
study to identify the main issues, requirements and needs of road user charging
before the process begins and these guidelines will be the first step in the
implementation of road user charging in Libya.